Why are there still so many white men in video games
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striferser
Huge Nickleback Fan
There's quite a lot of woman mangaka that give a lot of contribution to the manga industry.
Rumiko Takahashi
Hiromu Arakawa.
Kaoru Mori
to name a few
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To answer OP title: Because there are more white people working in video games and the facts that white male still one of the most dominant purchaser of mainstream videogame. At least that's what i think. Even Japanese studio usually make rhe main character a white male when making video games located in North America and targeting western market.
Basketball
Member
I love that in the video the characters are just reduced to dude # etc (screw the back story/ name/ and what motivates the character)
and many are not white men
the video is sexist/racist by marginalizing all the characters show just by their privates and skin
and many are not white men
the video is sexist/racist by marginalizing all the characters show just by their privates and skin
GalacticAE
Member
off the top of my head
Neptunia
Atelier Series
FFXIII
Biohazard Series (Claire, Jill, Sheva)
Bayonetta
Shion and kosmos
Lara Croft
Regina from Dino Crisis
Raiden in MGS2
Etna from Disgaea
Parasite Eve
Silent Hill 3 and 4
Fatal Frame
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Chun Li
Castlevania order of Ecclesia
Western AAA gaming doesn't represent all of video games.
Neptunia
Atelier Series
FFXIII
Biohazard Series (Claire, Jill, Sheva)
Bayonetta
Shion and kosmos
Lara Croft
Regina from Dino Crisis
Raiden in MGS2
Etna from Disgaea
Parasite Eve
Silent Hill 3 and 4
Fatal Frame
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Chun Li
Castlevania order of Ecclesia
Western AAA gaming doesn't represent all of video games.
The Albatross
Member
why are there so many white men?
SolidSnakex
Member
You should also note that EoT is based off a manga and Cruise's character is supposed to be Japanese. Hollywood loves to recast roles that originally have a minority in them.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
My gut says Little Mac is Italian. Like Rocky.
ShinMaruku
Member
Most games are being mad by white men. They make what they know.
Conciliator
Banned
i don't worry too much about it, but i would love it if more more games had non-white and/or non-male protagonists.
Pristine_Condition
Member
From looking what's on out there and what's on tap from 2013-2015, I'd say the videogame industry is doing a far better job than Hollywood in putting female protagonists in action-oriented stories.
But I guess her job is to criticize games now.
Christopher
Member
I wanna play as a dog why can't I be a dog?!
Eh, I do that all the time. And I hope for more diversity because I know that many people I know would love it. (Who are of asian/african descendance and/or female)
Which is riding livewires like skateboards and eating mushrooms and feeling 12 feet tall?
RockTurtle
Member
he misspelled ethnicity
And_Gignac
Member
An overwhelming majority of videogame consumers are white-European descent males.
Garrett Hawke
Member
I actually didn't know that about EoT, thanks.
The really odd thing is that even a lot of Japanese developed games make white males their lead too. However, most Chinese developed games feature Chinese male protags.
This is the case in anime too. Even though many of the characters have Japanese mannerisms, their outer appearance is usually that of a white male.
This is the case in anime too. Even though many of the characters have Japanese mannerisms, their outer appearance is usually that of a white male.
StalkerUKCG
Banned
The US has a 13% black population and a 66% white non-Hispanic population (the white population is 79% if you include Hispanics) and Canada has a 2.5% black popualtion and an over 80% white population.
That is roughly 33% of the entire US population is white male. It appeals to the masses.
Games are a business, you market games to your biggest demographics. Lots of Anime trope esq games are made in Asia. Lots of white male hero games are made in the US. Europe tends to branch out slightly more. Ubisoft are a pretty big indication of this. Assassins Creed has a myriad of influences for example.
That is roughly 33% of the entire US population is white male. It appeals to the masses.
Games are a business, you market games to your biggest demographics. Lots of Anime trope esq games are made in Asia. Lots of white male hero games are made in the US. Europe tends to branch out slightly more. Ubisoft are a pretty big indication of this. Assassins Creed has a myriad of influences for example.
Valkerionseven
Member
So when topics like this come up there is something I always wonder and pretty much assume. We know that most of the industry is made up of white males, but is the reason we do not get many non white male protags because they are making characters in their likeness/check list of things that sell... or is it uncomfortable-ness in making characters of other races or even genders by part of the overall larger industry?
What I mean is, is there that bit of not making characters of other races because there is a fear of "portraying" this race in a certain way that may not be PC to everyone who comes in contact with it. I.E. making black male characters the typical media stereotype of Ice Cube from Friday raised in Compton, or an Asian who knows kung-fu, ect. ect. I know this is a big issue in television and movies where they try to not even touch races/genders without some kind of person or group to okay the design and what not lest it offend someone. Just wondering because, as a black male, I see a ton of games either hit that stereotype way to hard, or try so hard to get away from it they simply make a hollow character.
Of course it all gets solved with well written and designed characters no matter what demographic the creators are.
What I mean is, is there that bit of not making characters of other races because there is a fear of "portraying" this race in a certain way that may not be PC to everyone who comes in contact with it. I.E. making black male characters the typical media stereotype of Ice Cube from Friday raised in Compton, or an Asian who knows kung-fu, ect. ect. I know this is a big issue in television and movies where they try to not even touch races/genders without some kind of person or group to okay the design and what not lest it offend someone. Just wondering because, as a black male, I see a ton of games either hit that stereotype way to hard, or try so hard to get away from it they simply make a hollow character.
Of course it all gets solved with well written and designed characters no matter what demographic the creators are.
Get more women playing and making videogames.
Is a for-profit industry responsible for potentially taking a loss on their products in order to maybe possibly garner more interest by women? That's a pretty risky proposition.
Show that there is a market for it and then the for-profit industry will deliver. They're not a social entity that's responsible for shaping culture. They respond to trends.
Is a for-profit industry responsible for potentially taking a loss on their products in order to maybe possibly garner more interest by women? That's a pretty risky proposition.
Show that there is a market for it and then the for-profit industry will deliver. They're not a social entity that's responsible for shaping culture. They respond to trends.
You can be almost literally anything in a video game. Why are there so few aliens/monsters/robots as main characters? There are a hell of a lot less of them than even female/black/etc leads. I'll tell you why, because every damn game with a budget is created by a committee, designed to appeal to the most common denominator.
If you're looking for imagination (which I would challenge a black/female/other main character even being "imaginative") and innovation, this probably isn't the right industry.
If you're looking for imagination (which I would challenge a black/female/other main character even being "imaginative") and innovation, this probably isn't the right industry.
I can understand this but that has no effect on Race/Gender/Sexuality. You can get revenge on gangster who killed your parents regardless of if you are white/black/gay/female/asian.
I am sorry f my mind doesn't think "why am I playing as a woman, I can't relate to this" while I am playing Bayonetta or Tomb Raider or as Rosalina in MK8.
NuclearSpy
Member
Isleofsancroy
Banned
Becareful, how you word this.
That's a great article, thanks for contributing interesting info to this thread.
NEOPARADIGM
Banned
Simple point probably already mentioned, but more games need to take the multiprotagonist approach and allow gamers to either select from a set of protags (Far Cry 2, Mass Effect) or create their own character (Souls, Fallout) and this problem goes away.
Chinese games are almost never sold overseas and non-Chinese games are almost never sold in China due to import/export laws regarding the sale of consoles. Their market is really insular and very different as a result.
TheDarkKnight774
Member
Oh I thought this was about game developers not characters. :/ that seems like a better topic.
Anywhoo. The reasons I think are
-safe and low risk. For most games they are pouring in large sums of money and years of development and they don't want safe choices on a lot of things. Whether that's peoples take on the race, or what I think more likely is their poor writing (not most AAA games main priority) could lead Into perceived racist or token character territory. Way more time and effort would be needed to avoid potential mine fields. (Ie remember re5 trailer fun?)
- tradition. See Hollywood
- lack of diversity of developers
Really it's the risk factor that over rides everything IMO. And why through indie games and games more focused on story above all else (ie walking dead) you can get more diversity.
Anywhoo. The reasons I think are
-safe and low risk. For most games they are pouring in large sums of money and years of development and they don't want safe choices on a lot of things. Whether that's peoples take on the race, or what I think more likely is their poor writing (not most AAA games main priority) could lead Into perceived racist or token character territory. Way more time and effort would be needed to avoid potential mine fields. (Ie remember re5 trailer fun?)
- tradition. See Hollywood
- lack of diversity of developers
Really it's the risk factor that over rides everything IMO. And why through indie games and games more focused on story above all else (ie walking dead) you can get more diversity.
For the big titles like others have said it's all about money. You might say "These issues are more important than money!" And I would agree with you.
But this is the job of huge devs, make tons of money with a safe IP, or risk a catastrophic flop with a unique game and have people lose their jobs in the process. Money is, and always will be, the most important aspect in AAA gaming.
The indie scene is more varied though, because since games are cheaper to make, you don't need as much sales to survive and you can live off a niche crowd.
That and they're creating the game they want to create. Forcing devs to cater to your needs is just as worse as censoring them and wouldn't help the chances of a quality product.
With that said, as a female, I dislike Anita. Her heart might be in the right place but she offers zero solutions to problems and adds nothing new to the table. We should look towards females devs that are already in the industry instead.
But this is the job of huge devs, make tons of money with a safe IP, or risk a catastrophic flop with a unique game and have people lose their jobs in the process. Money is, and always will be, the most important aspect in AAA gaming.
The indie scene is more varied though, because since games are cheaper to make, you don't need as much sales to survive and you can live off a niche crowd.
That and they're creating the game they want to create. Forcing devs to cater to your needs is just as worse as censoring them and wouldn't help the chances of a quality product.
With that said, as a female, I dislike Anita. Her heart might be in the right place but she offers zero solutions to problems and adds nothing new to the table. We should look towards females devs that are already in the industry instead.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Instead of looking through the history of video games to create a suitable counterpoint, maybe you should limit it to today, this year, and more specifically, what was shown at E3 2014 since that is what her tweet was about.
Pretty much already been said. BUT basically, the makeup of the industry (the people who make games) are white/males. And a big chunk of the consumer demographics is adult white males. If the goal of business is to always try to make the most money possible, you try to appeal to the largest section of your demographic. I do not think people are being malicious here. Sadly, this is a reality you see in any kind of product/medium. The film/music industry has always had trouble with this, and it's still an issue today. It's kind of the same reason why so many things are so safe and formulaic. No one wants to take a risk, and it's always easier to bleed dry a tried and true method of what works.
Only way to fix this is: I. Get more diverse people in the industry. II. As consumers, keep vocalizing what you want.
But I really feel that, unless the #s change, I don't see things changing at the rate people want them to. Unfortunately business only cares about the bottom line rather than what is challenging or inclusive of a diverse population.
I think as artists though, it's kind of lazy to only box yourself into a corner. But I get a feeling that, a lot of artists probably DO want to make more varied material, but are probably limited by what they can and can't do. It sucks. Being a writer in the TV industry for instance can be pretty soul crushing.
Only way to fix this is: I. Get more diverse people in the industry. II. As consumers, keep vocalizing what you want.
But I really feel that, unless the #s change, I don't see things changing at the rate people want them to. Unfortunately business only cares about the bottom line rather than what is challenging or inclusive of a diverse population.
I think as artists though, it's kind of lazy to only box yourself into a corner. But I get a feeling that, a lot of artists probably DO want to make more varied material, but are probably limited by what they can and can't do. It sucks. Being a writer in the TV industry for instance can be pretty soul crushing.
I'm fairly happy with the seemingly increased representation of women in games at this E3, even if a lot of it falls under Nintendo. Rather than shaming Ubisoft and EA, why don't we celebrate what Nintendo and some others are doing? Until female protagonists that aren't named Lara Croft succeed in a big way, Ubisoft and others don't have any monetary reason to change what they're doing. No amount of shaming will change their minds if they are looking at data that says an ethnic/female protagonist equals less sales.
I'm not just saying "vote with your wallets," as I find that to be a cop-out. But if there's a quality game with a female or ethnic protagonist or main character, the people who care about such things should be spreading word of mouth, stumping for the games that are taking risks.
In the end, a shaming campaign only works when it's sudden and large. The shaming campaign for women and minorities in games has been sustaining itself for many years now, and many in the industry are familiar with it's criticisms. The AAA industry generally seems to react defensively or dismissively to it. That campaign's usefulness in creating real change has been over with for some time. They may make the occasional uproar and get the name of an achievement changed, or a cut-scene edited, but that's about the extent of their power.
We've "gone negative" for years. I think the only other solution is to go positive.
I'm not just saying "vote with your wallets," as I find that to be a cop-out. But if there's a quality game with a female or ethnic protagonist or main character, the people who care about such things should be spreading word of mouth, stumping for the games that are taking risks.
In the end, a shaming campaign only works when it's sudden and large. The shaming campaign for women and minorities in games has been sustaining itself for many years now, and many in the industry are familiar with it's criticisms. The AAA industry generally seems to react defensively or dismissively to it. That campaign's usefulness in creating real change has been over with for some time. They may make the occasional uproar and get the name of an achievement changed, or a cut-scene edited, but that's about the extent of their power.
We've "gone negative" for years. I think the only other solution is to go positive.
block tower
Member
you didn't know most white guys are action heros who travel time and space killing and blowing shit up? how inconsiderate, thats like a normal everyday ripped from the newspaper type stuff for white guys. video game makers just make what they know..
AyaisMUsikWhore
Member
Because its safe, easy, and doesn't require much of a hassle.
But you know.... What I find funny are the constant reminders, that expecting developers or questioning developers creative vision can limit the game and pressure them to have to take into consideration every audience to whom they have to please individually.
What I find funny about that statement is we live in an open world that have millions of people who come from different backgrounds and come in various shades. What is so limiting in "art" to come up with a character that isn't a white male? Why is it that anything outside of a white male is considered harder to capture? Why is it to please a particular demand or even suggestions, that such thought on how to perfectly capture the character in relation to their race or sex has to be considered in of high R&D? For example, if perhaps a game character is a black person, why must the stereotype of the ethnicity be the first thing that comes to mind?
What sad is, specifically in the gaming industry, since people actually have a chance to interact, feel and relate, and make choices with these characters which they can't do in other industries like the Movie/TV industry, it's extremely weird to see such a passive aggressive response to the problem. Games have huge influence over people as they are far better at teaching things such as diversity and cultural exploration than any other methods of mediums.
The fact that gaming has yet to try to teach how to be diverse and teach how to create characters out of what you know is very sad to me. I feel like gaming can contribute so much to social issues in the world. Despite them not being obligated to, it would be nice to think outside the box instead staying in the confides of a box that they have never bothered to really open.
But you know.... What I find funny are the constant reminders, that expecting developers or questioning developers creative vision can limit the game and pressure them to have to take into consideration every audience to whom they have to please individually.
What I find funny about that statement is we live in an open world that have millions of people who come from different backgrounds and come in various shades. What is so limiting in "art" to come up with a character that isn't a white male? Why is it that anything outside of a white male is considered harder to capture? Why is it to please a particular demand or even suggestions, that such thought on how to perfectly capture the character in relation to their race or sex has to be considered in of high R&D? For example, if perhaps a game character is a black person, why must the stereotype of the ethnicity be the first thing that comes to mind?
What sad is, specifically in the gaming industry, since people actually have a chance to interact, feel and relate, and make choices with these characters which they can't do in other industries like the Movie/TV industry, it's extremely weird to see such a passive aggressive response to the problem. Games have huge influence over people as they are far better at teaching things such as diversity and cultural exploration than any other methods of mediums.
The fact that gaming has yet to try to teach how to be diverse and teach how to create characters out of what you know is very sad to me. I feel like gaming can contribute so much to social issues in the world. Despite them not being obligated to, it would be nice to think outside the box instead staying in the confides of a box that they have never bothered to really open.
Lmao. What racist products are you referring to.
Maninthemirror
Banned
Isn't it true that the majority of videogames have white characters but the majority of best selling games are multiracial ? Like cod or battlefield or FIFA ? Isnt Nathan drake columbian by ethnicity ? Gta characters are somwhat multi racial , need for speed has no race neither does the sims ? Final fantasy has
Women ? Madden ? Assassins creed has had women leads before . ? Zelda ? Tomb raider ? Resident evil ? Just dance ? Tekken ? Mortal combat ? All these are the best selling franchises and have multi racial or multi gender characters, we don't even know the ethnicity of master chief do we ?
Women ? Madden ? Assassins creed has had women leads before . ? Zelda ? Tomb raider ? Resident evil ? Just dance ? Tekken ? Mortal combat ? All these are the best selling franchises and have multi racial or multi gender characters, we don't even know the ethnicity of master chief do we ?
Latino maybe at least in the wii gametan
Nope. Italian.
Yeah that's true about the Chinese games. But it's odd that even many Japanese games pretty much strictly tailored towards the Japanese and will pretty much only sell in Japan still make their main characters white.
Haunted
Member
Thanks to Japan's decline, it does dominate E3, though (which the OP is about). So given that we're talking about E3 2014 and the video in the OP with the 40 male protagonists was only using games that were at E3 2014, your list now looks like this:
Garrett Hawke
Member
It's a hypothetical situation. You always use this argument in social issue threads. It's not about the products - it's a metaphor.
Black-Wind
Member
I find it funny how "It's safe/ it's about the money" is tossed out there when we talk about Women or PoC in games or films when on the small screen we're getting a well welcomed wave of diversity in TV shows and it's credited to ad companies figuring out that the best way to sell MORE of their products is by depicting the people you want to buy them in the commercials.
Not saying that all these things are playing on the same field but the reason we're getting this rising interest on the topic is because games are growing and becoming more interlaced in our lives. They're becoming more accepted as a form of entertainment so people are starting to take note of it as it's something that will help form young and old minds for generations to come.
I think "gamers" should at least be happy we're having this conversation regardless of how ever they feel about it. Shows that the world is recognizing (well, starting to recognize. We're still suck with "video game journalist" instead of proper journalism) this as something more than "silly shit".
Not saying that all these things are playing on the same field but the reason we're getting this rising interest on the topic is because games are growing and becoming more interlaced in our lives. They're becoming more accepted as a form of entertainment so people are starting to take note of it as it's something that will help form young and old minds for generations to come.
I think "gamers" should at least be happy we're having this conversation regardless of how ever they feel about it. Shows that the world is recognizing (well, starting to recognize. We're still suck with "video game journalist" instead of proper journalism) this as something more than "silly shit".
Isleofsancroy
Banned
I think they jumped on after some lgbt controversy in a recent game and it started from there.
Not to mention not as many animal games to balance things out. Still waiting for my ostrich character.
Ok, I remember these playable female characters:
- Alien Isolation Amanda Ripley-McClaren
- Evolve Val
- Mortal Kombat X D'Vorah
- Mario Party 10 Princess Peach
- Borderlands: Pre-Sequel Athena the Gladiator
-
The Last of Us Remastered(Spoiler)Ellie
- Bayonetta 2
- Tomb Raider Lara Croft
- Tales from the Borderlands Fiona
9 so far.
Also (customizable characters):
- Project Spark
- LittleBigPlanet 3
- Sims
Raven77
Member
Honestly I think its pretty rude to focus only on women. Where are all the characters of other nationalities? Why should their be more women and not more Mexican Male/Female characters?
She should be addressing the issue of adversity in gaming as a whole, not just focusing on the gender that she happens to be.
She also seems to be ignoring the many many games coming out in the next 1.5 years that DO allow you to play as a woman / have a woman lead.
She should be addressing the issue of adversity in gaming as a whole, not just focusing on the gender that she happens to be.
She also seems to be ignoring the many many games coming out in the next 1.5 years that DO allow you to play as a woman / have a woman lead.
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